In unanimous votes, the Select Board recently approved the promotion of two veteran police officers and extended a conditional job offer to a new recruit, acting on the recommendations of Police Chief Dennis King.
In a milestone for King, who started in Marblehead in 2021, these promotions mark the first made during his tenure. The candidates were evaluated using an assessment center for the first time in the department’s history, in addition to written exams and other criteria.
“It pulls out a lot of different skills that might not come out on a written exam,” King said of the assessment center. “It really does show attributes that you want to be able to assess to make these recommendations.”
Officer Tim Morley, a 12-year veteran of the force, will be promoted to the rank of sergeant effective May 1. Officer Jason Conrad, who has served with the Marblehead Police Department since 2001 and was promoted to sergeant in 2007, will now take on the role of lieutenant.
Both Morley and Conrad are lifelong Marblehead residents. King praised their dedication, skills and leadership abilities.
“I come forward with two candidates that at the end of the process, ended up number one,” King told the Select Board. “It’s always an exciting time for us because everybody that participated, I really do appreciate that. And I would say that this is a really, really good group, and [I’m] fortunate to have that kind of talent in the department.”
Morley, a 2000 graduate of St. John’s Prep, earned his bachelor’s degree from Norwich University in 2005 and later received a master’s in homeland security from Endicott College. He served in the U.S. Army infantry, completing a deployment to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and earning the rank of second lieutenant before joining the Marblehead Police in 2012.
As a patrolman, Morley has worked a variety of shifts and taken an active role in community engagement through programs like the citizen police academy and “coffee with a cop” events, which King called “a great trait.” Morley is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in geospatial information science from Salem State University.
“Tim’s going through [the program] and it’s going to help a lot as it relates to our new endeavor with our GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping and different things like that,” King noted.
Conrad, a 1994 Marblehead High School graduate, earned his bachelor’s from UMass Amherst in 1998 and a master’s degree from Salem State in 2013. He became a full-time Marblehead officer in 2001.
As the midnight shift commander since his promotion to sergeant in 2007, Conrad has overseen patrol operations and the department’s civilian dispatchers. He has also served in several specialized roles outside of his regular duties, including on a regional drug task force and a youth violence prevention program.
Conrad is certified as a breathalyzer operator and has experience in liquor law enforcement and marine unit operations. He previously served as the department’s community impact officer focusing on the local opioid epidemic.
“Sergeant Conrad was somebody that I had worked cases with,” said King, referencing his own law enforcement experience prior to coming to Marblehead. “For those reasons, and topping the Civil Service list, I’m recommending that Jason Conrad be promoted to the rank of lieutenant.”
In addition to the promotions, the Select Board approved a conditional offer of employment to Christian Haniger as a new full-time patrol officer. Haniger, also a lifelong Marblehead resident and high school graduate, is currently finishing his bachelor’s degree at Norwich College.
He recently completed a six-month stint with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, which King called “unique and valuable experience” for a new officer. Haniger’s hiring is conditional upon passing required physical, psychological and other screenings and graduating from the Massachusetts Police Academy.
